The singer and the McFly star have been dogged by breakup rumours over the past few weeks, with Ellie spotted hanging out with her former fling Niall Horan shortly after the gossip began. It's thought Dougie's reluctance to settle down is to blame for the alleged split, with pals reportedly consoling Ellie in the wake of it.

"Ellie's friends have told her she's doing the right thing and that, if Dougie is serious, he will propose; if he's not, he'll disappear," an insider explained to Britain's Star magazine. "But Ellie is devastated as she'd picked out a wedding gown and an Italian venue for the big event."

Ellie, 28, and Dougie, also 28, confirmed their relationship in February 2014 and had been discussing baby and marriage plans before things turned rocky. It seems the conversations got Ellie's hopes up.

"Ellie came home one day and Dougie had a gift in a box for her, which was a bracelet," the source shared. "When she opened the box Ellie cried because she was expecting an engagement ring. She walked out of the room and refused to talk to him. Dougie felt terrible, but he cannot bring himself to get married right now."

A recent interview with Mail on Sunday's You magazine revealed just how serious things had become between the pair before it went downhill.

"We want to (get married) and we do want to have children but I think realistically it won't happen for a while. Next year I'm on tour and I don’t want it to be something we fit in," Ellie explained.

"We both feel we need to get ourselves more settled with our work before we can even think about starting a family. I'm fully aware of how mad that sounds but we both know it's what we want."

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